Toilets on the trail: A taboo subject we need to talk about

Imagine this: you’re halfway up Szpiglasowy Wierch. The views are stunning, the sun is shining, and suddenly you feel that the coffee you drank this morning at the mountain hut, combined with a protein bar… is demanding immediate attention. An hour to the pass, two to the valley. What do you do?

Toilets in the mountains are a taboo subject. Nobody writes about it in guidebooks, and the result is that ‘behind every large rock’ along the trail, white flags of used toilet paper are fluttering.

Let’s break this taboo. Here’s a short guide on how to take care of “those matters” with respect for yourself and nature.

1. Planning is key (The Mountain Hut Rule)

It sounds obvious, but 90% of problems can be avoided. Are you entering a mountain hut? Go to the toilet. Even if “you don’t feel like it right now”. The mountain huts in the Dolina Pięciu Stawów (Valley of Five Lakes), at Hala Ornak or in Murowaniec are the last bastions of porcelain. Make the most of them before the final push to the summit.

2. When nature calls in the middle of nowhere

It’s happened. You can’t hold it in any longer. You’re on the trail. What now?

Rule 1: Get off the trail (and away from water!) Step off the path far enough to get out of sight of other people (but be careful not to get lost in the fog!). Under no circumstances should you relieve yourself near streams or ponds. Water in the mountains circulates, and you don’t want to be the source of E. coli bacteria in other hikers’ (and animals’) streams.

Rule 2: The ‘cat’ method Do you have a trekking pole or a sharp stone with you? Dig a small hole (about 15 cm deep). Afterwards, cover it with soil, moss or pine needles. This speeds up decomposition and masks odours so as not to attract wild animals.

3. The bane of white flags (What to do with the paper?)

This is the biggest sin committed by Polish tourists. Toilet paper thrown onto a mountain pine bush takes months to decompose. Wet wipes (the hit of recent years) are made of plastic – they won’t decompose for decades!

What should you do? The Leave No Trace principle is brutal but simple: Take your paper with you.

• How? Before you set off, buy a pack of the cheapest zip-lock bags (the ones with a zip) and dog waste bags (opaque).
• Put used paper in the black bag, then into the zip-lock bag (seal it tightly – no smell!) and stow it in your rucksack. Dispose of it in a bin at the mountain hut or down in the valley.
• Sound disgusting? Climbers in higher mountains (e.g. Yosemite) have to carry everything with them, including waste in special tubes. A bag of paper is really the bare minimum of decency.

4. The alpine zone problem (Where do you hide on the ridge?)

You are on Czerwone Wierchy or the Wołowiec ridge. No trees. No mountain pine. Everywhere there is only flat grass or rock, and 50 people within sight. Your only salvation is larger rock formations or terrain breaks (ridge gullies). Sometimes you simply have to walk a few dozen meters to the side (watch out for cliffs!) and… hope for the understanding of the hikers passing by, who will probably look away.

Summary

The mountains are our shared home while we’re on holiday. None of us would want to sit down for a rest on Gęsia Szyja in a “trap” left behind by the person before us. Carry paper and zip-lock bags in your backpack - they weigh next to nothing, and they make sure the only traces you leave behind are footprints.